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3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

B. ARNOLD. POSTAL WAGON.

No. 499,084. Patented June 6, 1893.

i'nau'a'ad (No Model.) a Sheets-$heet 2.

B. ARNOLD.

' POSTAL WAGON. No. 499,084. Patented June 6, 1893.

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B. ARNOLD.

POSTAL WAGON.

No. 499,084. Patented June 6. 1898.

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BENJAMIN ARNOLD, OF EAST GREENWICH, RHODE ISLAND.

POSTAL WAGON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 499,084, dated June 6,1893.

Application filed March 17, 1893. Serial Ila 66,405. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN ARNOLD, of

East Greenwich, in the county of Kent and veniences required toaccomplish for the lesser centers of distribution of mail matter,

that which the railway postal car has done for the larger centers, inthe way of handling the mails of places on railway routes, to the endthat places not contiguous to such routes, may have more directcommunication with each other, and much carrying forward and back of thesame matter may be avoided, that is now made necessary in sending to adistant distributing point, letters and packages to be returned to aneighboring office, by establishing a more direct communication betweensuch offices. It is also for the purpose of facilitating the collectionand delivery of mails in cities, by making use of the means that privateindividuals employ in express and other commercial affairs, to save timeand manual labor, and to keep the postal service in its methods andmeans of performance, up in line with'private enterprise.

The improvement is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1, shows a perspective View of the wagon, taken partly from therear. Fig. 2, is a rear view. Fig. 3, represents a vertical crosssection of the wagon, on line on, m, Fig. 4. Fig. 4 shows a horizontalsection taken on line 2., 2, Fig. 3.

The wagon is designed to be a light, strong vehicle, calculated to runquickly over rough roads as well as smooth, and properly mounted onsprings, as much for a guard against the effect of jolts on a vehiclecoming over rough ground, as for the comfort and convenience of theoccupant, who may be sorting over mail matter inside. The upper part A,

of the wagon, is made preferably of light panel work, which is stiffenedby the cross divisions inside, in like manner as a house is by itspartitions. The lower part of the body is carried in under at the sides,after the style of some passenger conveyances, for the purpose mainlyinthis case, of putting the wheels inside of the line of the upper part ofthe wagon, to enable persons to put letters in the openings made in thesides for that purpose, without running so much danger from the wheels.

In addition to the usual drivers entrance and seat 16, in front, thereis a back entrance reached by a step b, and suitable railings 2 1 oneach side, to enable a carrier to catch on and mount to a seat when thewagon is in motion. Two seats a, a, one on each side of the backentrance, are provided to accommodate two carriers, when the wagon isused on routes where the team would stop at a cross street, and onecarrier could go down a cross street to the right, and the other, downthe street to the left, and make their deliveries and collections at thesame time.

A section of the wagon just back of the drivers seat 5, is reserved toform a receptacle r, to receive letters that may be deposited therein,either through the apertures c, that open into it through the sides, orfrom the inside.

To facilitate the removal of the letters with the least amount ofhandling, the bottom of this receptacle is made of two chutes s, s, hungon a rod d, held at the bottom on a bar It, running along the under sideof the wagon. These chutes s, extend up at an angle to the projectingcorner of the body to allow more space for the forward wheels to passunder when the wagon is turned around. The sides 6, e, of the chute, aremade of sheet metal for lightness, and to save room. The two chutes s,s, are independent of each other in action, and when one chute is letdown, as in Fig. 1, its bottom will be in line with the other chute (seedotted lines in Fig. ,3) so that all the mail matter in the receptaclewill slide down as in a trough, out into a basket placed under the outerend of the chute to receive it, and any letters put in the opening 0, onthe other side, at this time will pass out with the rest of thecontents.

A doorf, hinged on one side to open laterally, is placed over the chuteon each side of the wagon. The lower edges of the doors being made withprojecting cleats to shut under the outer ends of the chutes, so thatwhen the doors are shut and locked, the chutes cannot be let down. Thechutes are also provided with hooks g, to hold them up when the doorsare open, for the principal use of the doors is to enable a collector todeposit packages of letters in the receptacle, that would not go throughthe openings 0.

lhe space between one of the back seats a, and the drivers seat t, isappropriated to boxes or pigeon holes j, for different places on theroute, and the like space on the opposite side y, is utilized fora tableon which letters can be sorted and stamped, by a person standing in thecenter between. A drawer *u, is placed under this table y, and may bemade to draw out toward the center of the wagon, or out over the seat a,to be used to hold stamps, envelopes, cards, and money received for themon the route.

The space H, on each side of the drivers seat, may be used for packages,&c.

A lantern Z, is put in through the roof at the rear end, so as toilluminate a transparent plate in the back end, with suitable letteringon it.

A curtain h, is hung at the top of the back entrance, that can be drawndown to close the rear end and protect the occupantsin bad Weather.

The Wagon is properly lighted in the daytime by two windows on eachside.

Both sides of the wagon are alike, and appropriate lettering may be puton each side, as in Fig. 1, to indicate the purpose it is intended tocarry out.

Having thus described my improved postal wagon, I claim as myinvention 1. A postal wagon provided with a front entrance and a seatfora driver, a rear entrance with steps and suitable railings and a seator seats for carriers, and a receptacle with openings on both sides ofthe wagon to receive letters, &c., substantially as set forth.

2. In a postal wagon, a receptacle for mail matter, consisting of one ormore chutes hinged at the inner end and arranged to be let down todischarge the contents, substantiallyas specified.

3. In a postal wagon arranged substantially .as described,-a receptacleto receive mail matter, consisting of one or more chutes hing ed at theinner end, and arranged to be let down to discharge their contents, incombination with a door placed above the outer end of the chute,substantially as described.

4. Means for facilitating the collecting and distributing of mailmatter, such as a letter depository, pigeon holes, shelves, receptaclesfor stamps, postal cards and envelopes, adapted to and combined withawagon suitable for use on common roads, substantially as set forth.

BENJ. ARNOLD.

Witnesses:

E..B. READ, JAMES E. ARNOLD.

